The Origin of Europa
by M.H. Torringjan
Summary: This was the obligatory origin fic that every new character should, by law have. Michael Cross was a normal teenager until... C&C is appreciated


Obligatory Origin Story  
  
A Sailor Moon Original Flavor Fanfic  
By: M.H. Torringjan  
  
Well, this character's been around for a while, and I've talked a lot   
about him, so I guess I should tell about his past. The other Scouts have some   
sort of story to tell, so mine probably should, too. Here goes...  
As usual, I don't own Sailor Moon. Naoko Takeuchi does. I'm just   
borrowing the idea to talk about my character. Nah, I know I'm not doing as   
good of a job as she did, but I'm giving it a pretty good try. All righty   
then...  
  
"You know, I really hope my parents didn't plan anything special for   
today," Michael Cross said as he walked down the street, followed by his friend,   
Yvette Lanard. It was his thirteenth birthday that day. As much as he enjoyed   
doing stuff for his birthdays, he hated surprises. They hadn't said anything   
about it since the year before, when they had said that they wouldn't be going   
out anywhere for this year. He had a sneaking suspicion that they would try   
something behind his back.  
Eve looked at him for a minute in silence before saying, "You know, I'm   
not supposed to tell you anything, but they did plan something." He had known   
Eve since the beginning of the year, and she was probably the person that knew   
him the best. He hadn't seen any of his friends from elementary school when he   
graduated to middle school. She had helped him to make all the friends he had   
at school.  
Michael frowned. "Oh, that's peachy. Thanks for telling me, Eve."  
"Yeah, I know how you feel about that sort of thing."  
"I've always got to be ready for the occasion," Michael replied, the frown   
changing quickly to a grin.  
"Oh, great," Eve said. "What're you going to do? Streak through the   
party? Release live wolf spiders in your living room?"  
"Nothing elaborate. But I'll keep that first one in mind for next year,"   
Michael replied.  
"Right, but I didn't tell you a thing," Eve said. "They aren't planning   
anything big, either. They're just getting some friends together to throw a   
little party."  
"Please tell me they're my friends and not theirs."  
"Yeah, they even thought of that!"  
"Well, that makes it better!"  
"I'm supposed to keep you busy until they can get the house ready."  
"Well then, why don't we just get there early?"  
"I thought you'd say that," Eve replied. She smiled and replied, "Why   
not?" The two continued on towards Michael's house in silence while Michael   
thought about what to do to his parents. As they drew near to Michael's house,   
Michael stopped in his tracks. "What's up?" Eve asked.  
"I'm not going in the front," Michael said.  
"What, you're going to go in the back door?" Eve said.  
"Oh, you think me that unoriginal?" Michael replied. "I'm going through   
my room's window."  
"Well, that'll surprise them," Eve replied. "I think I'll wait outside   
until you make your grand entrance. Make sure your parents get their energy   
worked out on you before I go in."  
"Good idea," Michael said. "They can be kind of... testy at times."   
Michael worked his way slowly towards his house, crouching down to keep out of   
sight of anyone inside. When he got around to his room, he pried the window   
open and crawled through. To his surprise, a new desk was sitting in the corner   
of his room, a brand new computer sitting on top of it with some game boxes   
sitting beside it. "Well, happy birthday, me!" Michael said to himself. He   
decided not to waste time, since Eve was waiting outside.  
Michael opened the door and walked into the hallway stealthily. He   
sneaked into the kitchen, where his mother was working on a cake. He grabbed a   
rag and folded it in half, as though he had chloroform on it. When he reached   
around to cover her face, she grabbed his arm and pulled him around, twisting it   
behind his back. A moment later, she realized who she was holding and released   
him.  
"Michael, what are you doing?!" she exclaimed.  
"I was just playing around a bit," he said.  
"That's not a good idea, you know. I learned a bit more from those self   
defense classes than you may think," she said.  
"Well, sorry," he replied.  
"Now, what are you doing back so soon? How did you get in there? Where's   
Yvette?" she asked.  
"Well, I just came back early. I came in through the window, and she's   
outside."  
"Why's she outside? The window?"  
"Trust me, with me, it's just better not to ask."  
"Well, I guess you found us out," she said.  
"I guess so," Michael replied. "Where's dad?"  
"He's in the living room, decorating with some of your friends," she said.  
"I'll go make an appearance," Michael said, walking into the living room.   
True to her word, some of Michael's friends were standing around the living   
room, hanging streamers, blowing up balloons, and taping up a banner. "Nice   
touch, but could you add some clowns into the mix next time?" Michael commented,   
causing everyone to turn to stare at him.  
"Michael! You're home early!" Mr. Cross said.  
"Word came down a little while ago, and I decided to see what it was all   
about," Michael replied.  
"We were hoping to surprise you," his friend, Robert said.  
"Well, I was surprised for the first few seconds after I heard about it,"   
Michael said, smiling. He walked to the first door and opened it to tell Eve to   
come in.  
"That's a start," Robert said.  
"Well, happy birthday, anyway," said another of his friends, Thomas.  
"Thanks, Tom," Michael replied. "Well, don't stop on account of me. I'll   
just take a seat over here and stuff." He sat down on the couch across the room   
from where they were hanging the banner. "A little bit to the right!" he   
instructed, resting his feet on the coffee table.  
"You could help, you know," Robert replied.  
"What, help set up my own surprise party?" Michael said.  
"Since you're here, why not make yourself useful?" Robert said.  
"Let him be. He's got a point that it is his birthday," Yvette replied.  
"Oh, all right," Robert replied. The five people continued setting up   
while Michael watched. At about five, some more of Michael's friends showed up,   
bearing gifts. After they had gotten settled down, Michael turned on music for   
dancing. He decided to play a board game, since he didn't like dancing. Eve   
and Thomas joined him while the others kept dancing. Michael noticed his dog,   
Rigel, slinking around in the shadows, watching the proceedings warily. That   
dog was always so nervous around other people.  
After everyone got tired of dancing, they grabbed some cake and chips and   
sat down to watch Michael open his presents. Soon, there was a pile of bags and   
paper on one side and CD's and books on the other side of him.  
"Thanks, everybody," he said, starting to clean up. A moment later, he   
had a plate of cake shoved under his face by his mother.  
"We'll take care of this. Don't worry yourself with it," she said.  
"Well, thank you, too!" Michael said, eagerly seizing the cake and forking   
some into his mouth. He finished the food and went back to the board game that   
they had left to open presents.  
When the clock sounded ten o'clock, the party-goers started to leave, and   
by eleven, everyone but Eve was gone. She was sitting on the couch, watching   
the news.  
"You should be going soon, Eve," Michael said. "We've got class   
tomorrow."  
"Yeah, I know," Eve said. "I don't want to leave yet. I'm just having   
such a great time."  
"I had a good time, too. I'm glad you came," Michael said. "And thanks   
again for the CD. I've been wanting that one for a while now."  
"I'm glad you like it," Eve replied. Michael sat down beside Eve and   
started watching the TV with her. She leaned close to him and rested her head   
on his shoulder. He looked over at her and was about to ask what she was doing   
when she sat up and pushed her lips to his. For the first moments, a strange   
feeling of exhilaration rushed through Michael as he realized what was   
happening. She had truly caught him off guard.  
"Michael, could you please put away your presents?" his mother asked,   
walking into the room. The two separated quickly, Eve hoping that Mrs. Cross   
hadn't seen them. "I guess you already saw your father's and my present?"  
"Yeah, that's awesome! I've been wanting my own computer for the longest   
time!" Michael exclaimed. "And those games are my favorites!"  
"We know. You talk about them enough," Mrs. Cross replied. Michael   
grinned and shrugged. He carried his stuff into his room and sat it down on his   
bed. Turning around, he saw that Eve had followed him.  
"Michael, I love you," she said. Michael didn't reply. He had no idea   
what to say to her. "I've loved you since the New Years' party. The New Years'   
kiss you gave me- I know it wasn't supposed to mean much, but it meant so much   
to me."  
"To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have done it if it was anyone else,"   
Michael replied. Eve smiled back at him. "I love you, too. I've loved you for   
a long time now. I was just never sure about how you felt. I'm glad we were   
able to work this out." He walked to her and pulled her close to him. They   
kissed again, longer this time. Eve pulled apart from him and looked around.  
"It's odd, but I feel like we're being watched," Eve said.  
"Oh, yeah, my parents have X-ray vision. Never mentioned it, did I?"   
Michael said, grinning.  
"Be serious," Eve said. "Someone's got to be watching us."  
"Well, I haven't heard anything about a voyeur in the neighborhood   
recently," Michael replied. "Only one in here's the stupid dog."  
"That must be what it is," Eve replied. "Look, I should probably be going   
now. Like you said, classes tomorrow and all that."  
"All right, Eve," Michael said. Before she walked out, Michael gave her   
another quick kiss and told her, "I love you." After Eve left, he decided to   
close his door so that he could check out his new computer in peace. Before he   
could turn it on, though, he heard a voice behind him that he had never heard   
before.  
"Well, happy birthday, Michael." Michael turned quickly to see who had   
said that, and he only saw his dog.  
"Hello?" he asked, trying to locate the source of the voice. All he saw   
was Rigel sitting on his bed.  
"Yes, Michael, you heard me right," said Rigel. Michael's dog was talking   
to him, and he truly thought it the most odd thing to have happened to him that   
day. He was too dumbstruck to think much of anything else. "Happy birthday."  
"Why are you talking? Did I get some bad cake or something? Are all my   
friends hearing their pets talk right now?" Michael asked.  
"No, I'm the only one that I know of who can talk besides two other cats.   
But that's beside the point. The point is, I have some very important news for   
you," Rigel said.  
"What news?" Michael asked.  
"You are a superhero," Rigel said.  
"Right, and dogs can talk," Michael replied.  
"Correct," Rigel replied.  
"Okay, then, I think I'll go to bed now," Michael said, picking Rigel up   
to throw him off of the bed.  
"Look, there's nothing wrong with you, and this is really happening. Now,   
stop screwing around and listen to me!" Rigel exclaimed.  
"Okay, if this is some weird dream, I should at least see it through, I   
guess," Michael said.  
"Look at it however you want to. Sure, it's a dream. And it'll be a   
recurring dream for the rest of your life, every few nights. Whatever it takes   
you to get the job done," Rigel said. "I just want you to take this little   
stick, hold it up, and call out, 'Europa Power!'"  
Rigel dropped a small, purple stick with a sigil at the top at Michael's   
feet.  
"How many times have we told you not to bring in things from outside,   
Rigel?!" Michael exclaimed.  
"Oh, quiet up," Rigel said. "I thought you thought this was a dream."  
"Hey, even in a dream, I've got to teach you," Michael said.  
"Sorry, other way around. In these dreams, I'm teaching you," Rigel   
replied. "Now, just do what I told you."  
"Well, I guess so," Michael replied. He held the stick high and   
exclaimed, "Europa Power!" Immediately, he felt a strong energy surround him,   
swirling the air. His clothes fluttered and, as he looked down, changed to a   
sailor suit with purple lining. He felt something settle on his head. A moment   
later, the energy dissipated and flowed into him, leaving him standing in the   
middle of his room, slightly dazed at the power running through his body. He   
reached his hand to his head and removed what was there, a golden tiara with an   
amethyst set in the center.  
"You are Sailor Europa, one of the Guardians of Truth and Justice, the   
Sailor Scouts," Rigel said.  
"The who?" Michael asked.  
"Let me start at the beginning. A thousand years ago, there was a Kingdom   
on the Moon, ruled by Queen Serenity," Rigel said.  
"Excuse me? A kingdom on the moon? And where is this kingdom now?"   
Michael asked.  
"It was destroyed by an evil Queen in a war."  
"Then where are the ruins of this kingdom?" Michael countered. "Why   
hasn't the space program found it yet?"  
"Well, it has been a thousand years," Rigel replied. "Most of it isn't   
there anymore for various reasons."  
"Right, well, anyway, this kingdom thingy," Michael said disbelievingly.  
"it consisted of all the planets of the solar system, all of which had   
their own guardian, the Sailor Scouts. Mercury had Sailor Mercury, Mars had   
Sailor Mars, and so on. Also, each moon had its own Sailor Scout to aid in   
combat when needed. Coincidentally, the Scouts were also the Princesses of   
their own planets, with one exception. The Sailor Scout of Europa was actually   
the Prince of Jupiter's moon, Europa."  
"And I'm him, right?" Michael said skeptically, crossing his arms.  
"Exactly," Rigel replied. "In the Silver Millennium, your sister, the   
princess and real Sailor Europa died, and you were entrusted with the powers of   
the Sailor Scout. You fought along with the other Sailor Scouts in the final   
battle against Queen Beryl, which was almost lost if it wasn't for the sacrifice   
of the Queen of the Moon Kingdom, Queen Serenity. She used her energy to save   
us all and send us into the future. She banished the evil, hopefully never to   
return again. So far, I haven't seen any sign of the enemies yet, but I figure   
that it's better to be safe than sorry. I've been waiting for your thirteenth   
birthday to return your powers to you so that I may train you in case they   
return."  
"And what if they don't return at all?" Michael asked. "Why don't you   
just leave me as a normal boy until they really come?"  
"Would you rather be green when some giant, evil monster's trying to rip   
your face off?" Rigel asked.  
"Well, I suppose not..." Michael replied.  
"Good. Now, tomorrow, we'll begin your real training, so you should get   
as much sleep as possible tonight," Rigel said. "I will see you in the   
morning."  
"Well, I guess so, but how do I get out of this outfit?" Michael asked,   
tugging at the sleeves.  
"Just say 'revert' and you'll be returned to normal," Rigel sighed.  
"All right, then, revert," Michael said. A moment later, he was returned   
to the clothes he had been wearing. A wave of weakness flooded over him,   
sending him falling to the floor.  
"I was afraid that would happen," Rigel said. "Well, it wasn't as bad as   
I had imagined it, but still..."  
"What would happen?" Michael asked.  
"Your body isn't used to that much energy flowing through it, so it reacts   
negatively when the energy is removed," Rigel said. "Don't worry, you'll get   
used to it after a while."  
"Well, I hope so. It won't do to have a superhero who can't stand on his   
own," Michael said, smiling weakly.  
"You're not a superhero just yet. Wait until you've actually done   
something important before you think so highly of yourself," Rigel replied.  
"I can tell you're going to be a load of fun to have around," Michael   
replied sourly.  
"This isn't supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be work," Rigel said.  
"Work is supposed to be fun," Michael countered.  
"Trust me, this work is anything but fun."  
"Then I don't want to do it," Michael said.  
"Too bad. You don't have a choice," Rigel replied.  
"And what're you going to do about it?" Michael asked. "Not like a fluffy   
little puppy can do anything to stop me."  
"Wanna bet?" Rigel asked. Suddenly, the crescent moon spot, that Michael   
had always assumed to be a birthmark, on his forehead began to glow. Michael   
was held stationary by an invisible force, similar to the one that he had felt   
when he had transformed. This time, though, it was being used against him. "Do   
you believe me now? You have no choice. You are the defender of truth and   
justice, Sailor Europa. The darkness will come for you soon. Will you fight   
them back? Or will you run away because it's too hard?"  
"I'm not running away from anything. I'm merely refusing to have my   
destiny set for me."  
"As admirable as that is, some things cannot be avoided," Rigel said.   
"This is one of them. Now, do you want to be ready for the danger, or will you   
die easily?"  
Michael thought hard for a moment. "Is my death guaranteed either way? Am   
I damned if I do, damned if I don't?"  
"Not at all. If you train yourself, you will make it through alive,"   
Rigel replied.  
"Well, then, I guess I will go along with this. I haven't really   
challenged myself before with something like this," Michael said. "It might be   
fun, after all."  
"So, we're a bit masochistic, are we?" Rigel asked.  
"Nah, just optimistic," Michael replied. "Now, can I go to bed?"  
"I suppose so. You need your rest," Rigel replied. "By the way, I'm not   
a 'stupid dog.' And you really might not want to tell anyone about this. Not   
even your new, if I may, girlfriend."  
"Oh, so I've got the whole secret identity thing going on, too?" Michael   
said.  
"Of course you do! What if the wrong person found out who Sailor Europa   
is! They could catch you off guard easily, and that would be that!"  
"And why can't I tell people I trust?" Michael asked.  
"Because they might leak it themselves," Rigel said. "You really are new   
at this, aren't you?"  
"Yeah. Did you think they taught a superhero class at school or   
something?"  
"Just get in bed, will you?!" Rigel exclaimed.  
  
Michael went through the next day normally, considering the previous   
night's proceedings to have been merely an extremely strange dream. Rigel   
hadn't said a word that morning before Michael had headed off. Of course, Rigel   
had been asleep until Michael had left, but that was beside the point. He'd   
just play the day by ear and hope that he was right. At lunch, he sat down at   
the usual table and waited for his friends to come around. Eve was the first   
one there as always.  
"Hey, Michael!" Eve said, sitting down beside him.  
"Hi, Eve!" Michael replied. "How is everything?"  
"It's going well. You?" Eve asked.  
"Not too badly, I suppose. I had the weirdest dream last night," Michael   
said.  
"Really? What about?"  
"Well, Rigel could talk, and he told me that I was a super hero from the   
moon a thousand years ago," Michael said.  
"Yeah, that is odd! But imagine if it was true! That would be so cool!"   
Eve said.  
"Nah, being a superhero's too much hard work for too little reward,"   
Michael said.  
"Well, I'd love to be a superheroine," Eve said. "Flying around, saving   
people in the nick of time, and getting home in time for dinner!"  
"You're romanticizing again, Eve," Michael said.  
"Well, what else can I do when I'm not a superhero?"  
"Think about the risks of the job as well as the perks," Michael said.  
"Now, that doesn't sound like you, Mike!" Eve said. "Whatever happened to   
Mister 'Always Romanticize?'"  
Michael paused. She was right. He was taking the dream too seriously.   
"Yeah, you're right. I guess it would be fun! Besides, with the right   
superpowers, you'd never get hurt in the first place!"  
"What superpowers did you have in your dream?" Eve asked.  
"I don't know. Rigel didn't tell me," Michael replied.  
"Well, maybe you'll find out if you have the dream again," Eve said.  
"Yeah, Rigel told me I'd be having the dream again, so maybe I can find   
out then," Michael replied.  
"Anyway, enough about dreams. Let's talk about reality," Eve said. Some   
of their friends walked up from the cafeteria line. "Would you like to go with   
me to a movie Saturday night?"  
"Sure, which one?" Michael asked.  
"I don't know. We'll decide when we get there, I guess," Eve said.  
"That'll do," Michael said. "Sure, I'd love to go!"  
"Great! Then, we'll work out the details on Saturday!"  
  
Michael walked back into his house that afternoon and set his stuff down   
in his room. Rigel was laying on his bed.  
"So, you got anything to say to me now, dog?" Michael said. The dream had   
been bugging him for the whole afternoon. He had been strongly distracted   
during science class so that he couldn't remember a word of what had been said.  
"Just two things," Rigel said. "One, call me by my name. I am not 'Dog,'   
'Doggie Boy,' 'Fido,' or anything besides Rigel. Two, we are beginning our   
training tonight in your powers. I hope you got lots of sleep last night,   
because we'll be burning the midnight oil, probably, judging by last night."  
Michael gaped a bit. It hadn't all been a dream, and Rigel really could   
talk. Michael really was a superhero. Against his will.  
"Now, if you would please gather your bearings, we'll head out and get   
started," Rigel continued.  
"Whoah, hold it! What if someone sees us? It's still broad daylight!"   
Michael said.  
"We're going to a secluded area where no-one's going to see us. Since   
this is only your basic training, I want to make sure you don't do any major   
damage," Rigel said. "You just need to make sure that your parents are okay   
with you going out."  
"They will be," Michael replied. Training, huh? Well, as long as he   
didn't have to do pull-ups. "They trust me to go out and about on my own."  
"That's a bit odd for a thirteen year old," Rigel said.  
"Well, I don't ask questions," Michael replied. Then, after making sure   
it was all right to go out, Michael and Rigel left the house and walked down the   
street. Rigel motioned for Michael to follow him around the side of a   
neighbor's house, where no one could see them. "What're we doing here? I   
thought you said we would be where no one could see us."  
"We will be. Just give me a minute," Rigel said. He produced from   
seemingly out of nowhere a small, glowing block with buttons on it. Rigel   
pressed the green button and a small portal opened in front of them.  
"Wow! How long has this thing been here?" Michael asked. "Does Mrs.   
Williams know about it?"  
"Of course not. I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one who knows about it,   
since I'm the only one who has the key to get into it," Rigel said. "I put it   
here earlier today since I'd be training you using it. This is the least   
conspicuous place I could find to put it in this neighborhood."  
"Is it safe?" Michael asked.  
"It hasn't been tested on humans yet, but we're going a long way tonight.   
So, unless you want to walk for hours on end, we take this."  
"All right," Michael said. "But if I come out the other side looking like   
a cross between a buffalo and a porcupine, you're the first person I'll kill."  
"That's acceptable," Rigel said as he jumped through the portal himself.   
Michael waited a few moments before following the dog. He had expected to feel   
something as he passed through the portal, but it was nothing special as such.   
His feet landed on the ground as they normally would if he had jumped anywhere.   
Looking around, he found himself in the middle of a dense forest. It was warm   
and humid where they stood, unlike his neighborhood. He removed his jacket and   
draped it over his arm. Birds were chirping in the trees around them. He was   
no good at recognizing calls, so they could very well have been the same type as   
lived around his home. But he knew he didn't hear any pigeons, and that   
relieved him.  
"So, where are we, anyway?" Michael asked.  
"We're in a forest in Georgia," Rigel replied.  
"Please tell me you mean the state, Georgia," Michael said.  
"What? Did you think we'd go across the country, then the Pacific ocean,   
followed closely by half of Asia, just for a few nights' training?" Rigel asked.  
"Well, I've been surprised by a lot of things these past two days,"   
Michael said off-hand.  
"Point taken. Yes, we're in the state of Georgia," Rigel said. "Very few   
people live anywhere near here, so we'll be free to train and you can make   
whatever mistakes you need to."  
"Mistakes? You don't listen much at home, do you? I'm not exactly the   
dullest hammer in the barrel." Michael asked.  
"This isn't a math problem," Rigel said. "You may have smarts, but you   
don't have skills yet. Believe me when I say that you will make many mistakes."  
"If you insist," Michael said, taking out the stick that Rigel had given   
him the night before. "So, should we get started?"   
"Yes," Rigel replied.  
"All right. Europa Power!" A few moments later, the transformation was   
complete and he stood in his Sailor form. "Really, Rigel, couldn't you have   
given me a better outfit than this? I mean, Superman wouldn't have gone out and   
about in a sailor suit."  
"Trust me, there's a reason for it," Rigel replied, getting annoyed.  
"What's the reason?" Europa asked.  
Rigel was silent for a few moments before replying. "I've forgotten it,   
but trust me on this one. Let's just get started."  
"All right, crappy suit must equal really cool powers! Right?" Europa   
asked.  
"You'll probably think so," Rigel said. "First off, you have what's   
called the Europa Earth Drop. All you have to do is exclaim the attack's name   
and it happens. Right?"  
"Okay. Europa Earth Drop!" Europa said. Nothing happened. After a few   
moments, Europa said, "Gee, Rigel, really cool attack."  
Rigel frowned. "You're doing it wrong. You have to channel some of the   
energy from yourself into the attack. It's not just there to make you feel   
good."  
"Europa Earth-"  
"Wait! You're supposed to point the attack-"  
"Drop!" Europa exclaimed, releasing some of his energy into the attack.   
Before he could do anything, he felt a heavy load drop onto him from out of   
nowhere. He had instinctively closed his eyes when he had been hit, and he   
tried opening them now, only to receive an eye-full of dirt. Quickly closing   
them again, Europa stopped to think. The load on top of him must have been his   
attack. He tried standing up, but the load on top of him was too heavy to move.   
Well, this has probably been the shortest superhero career of all time, he   
thought to himself. Europa tried drawing in a breath through the corner of his   
mouth and only got grains of dirt.  
Soon, he'd need to breathe, and he doubted that he could do it with the   
dirt around him. He couldn't go anywhere, and he had no idea what to do. As   
long as he didn't panic- well, he'd probably still die, but it would be with a   
clear head at least. That thought didn't help, and his heart began to race   
faster. He'd need to take a breath soon.  
Europa's chest began to ache, but there was nothing he could do about it.   
Having nothing else to do, Europa began to try moving anything that he could to   
try and get some moving room for the rest of his body, and maybe even some   
breathing room. After a few moments of what little flailing he could do, the   
dirt around him hadn't loosened as much as it had gotten packed in tighter. He   
decided to stop instead of making it worse. He'd like to try and last as long   
as he could.  
The thought occurred to him to try standing up again in the vain hopes   
that he had moved enough dirt from on top of him that he could stand up.   
Unfortunately, nothing doing. He decided to relax with the last few minutes he   
had awake. His heart was still beating quickly, which didn't help the matter   
one bit. He began to think about calming things to try and slow down his heart.   
He didn't have much more time. Suddenly, he felt something rub up against his   
back. Oxygen deprivation must have been getting to his head. Then, he felt it   
stronger, moving up his back. Whatever it was began pulling on his shirt.   
Excitedly, Europa tried standing up again, this time succeeding. He took a deep   
gasp of air and flopped backwards onto the pile of dirt beneath him, breathing   
hard.  
"Now, that was a close one," Rigel said. "Now, as I was saying before   
that little snag, when you use the attack, you need to aim it somewhere, or else   
it'll fall straight down on top of you. Exactly like it did."  
"Well, thanks for the warning," Europa said.  
"Okay, shall we try it again?" Rigel asked.  
"How about we take five, then try again?"  
"My training rules don't include breaks in the middle. Only breaks you   
get are at the beginning and the end," Rigel said. "It'll make you stronger   
faster than anything else we could do."  
"Stronger, my ass!" Europa exclaimed. "It'll kill me faster than anything   
at all!"  
"Michael, who do you think trained you the first time around? On the Moon   
Kingdom?" Rigel asked.  
"I'll be darned if I know," Europa said. "But I sure hope it wasn't you."  
"Well, it was me, and that's why you were able to keep up with the rest of   
the Scouts after such a late start. Now, if you want at all to be able to get   
better from this untrained human form, then you'll do as I say."  
"Okay, okay. You don't have to get all melodramatic on me," Europa said.  
"Just try it again," Rigel said.  
"All right, then how do I aim it?" Europa asked.  
"A simple matter," Rigel said. "Just point while you're calling it out.   
Don't worry about aiming perfectly. We'll handle precision another time."  
"Sounds good," Europa said, pointing his hand in front of him. "Europa   
Earth Drop!" A large pile of earth dropped from nowhere into the forest   
directly in front of him, burying the underbrush.  
"Much better," Rigel said. "Now, send it away."  
"What, the dirt?"  
"Yes. Just wave your hands in a circular motion and pull the energy back   
to you," Rigel said. "The energy won't return to you, though. It'll dissipate   
whenever you dismiss the attack, so you only have a limited number of attacks   
per transformation."  
"Okay," Europa said. He did as Rigel had told him, and the pile of earth   
and the energy both disappeared. "Now, that's cool."  
"Now, we're going to take care of some strength training," Rigel said.  
"What do you mean?" Europa asked nervously.  
"Grab a tree limb and start doing pull-ups!" Rigel exclaimed.  
  
Eventually, it began to get too dark for training. Rigel called him back   
from the running that he had set Europa on. "Okay, we should be getting back   
now," Rigel said.  
"Good! That mean training's over?" Europa asked.  
"Yeah, we're done for today. First thing tomorrow, though, I want us to   
go out around your neighborhood and patrol for criminals," Rigel replied.  
"You want us to *what?!*" Europa exclaimed.  
"Only one time over. Just see if we can find anything going on to give   
you some experience in fighting," Rigel said.  
"You know, I am still a bit green, Rigel. I might need to actually learn   
to fight before I try doing it. Besides, isn't that the police's job?" Europa   
said resentfully.  
"You are supposed to fight evil. Since the Negaverse isn't anywhere   
around, petty thieves will have to do," Rigel said. Europa sighed heavily as   
Rigel took out the glowing box from earlier and pressed the orange button on it.   
A portal opened up in front of them again. The two of them quickly jumped   
through, and Europa found himself back in his neighborhood, sitting in his room.  
"Now, how long has *this* one been there?" he asked.  
"Actually, just since earlier today. The doors are only one-way for   
security reasons," Rigel said. "Just in case you were wondering why we didn't   
use the other one."  
"Nope. Couldn't care less," Europa said. "I've got homework to do before   
bed, so if you would please go away and do whatever it is that you do when   
you're not bothering me."  
"Well, if you're going to be that way, then I will," Rigel said quietly,   
walking through the open door. Michael reverted and sat down on his bed with   
his books and tried to do homework. After ten minutes, though, he had drifted   
off to sleep.  
  
The next day at school didn't go half as well as the day before. First,   
Michael got a zero on a random homework check, since he hadn't been able to   
finish up before class. Then, Eve wasn't even at school. To add to the   
annoyances, he was still aching from the night before. He had yelled at three   
people by the end of the day and gotten in trouble for it twice. At least he   
knew better than to mouth off to the teacher. He saved that for rare, special   
occasions, ones that had never happened, and he hoped never would.  
Michael walked home slowly that day, dreading returning to Rigel and the   
damn transformation. As he dragged his feet, he thought about his predicament.   
He'd have to fight crime alone, accompanied only by some stupid, talking dog.   
He'd been watching cartoons for long enough to know that all good superheroes   
have sidekicks. Or at least partners. Ones that weren't annoying talking dogs.  
"Yeah, it would have to be me who gets the raw deal," Michael commented to   
himself as he approached his house. "I'm going to have to have a talk with   
Rigel about this. I really don't think I can take this alone if it's anything   
like last night." He walked into his room and sat his book-bag down beside his   
bed. Rigel was laying on the bad, as usual for when Michael came home.  
"Afternoon, Michael," Rigel greeted. Noticing the look on Michael's face,   
he asked, "Bad day?"  
"Don't get me started," Michael said. "Look, I've got a question. You   
said that there were other Sailor Scouts. Does that mean that I'm not going to   
have to do this alone?"  
"I really can't say for sure," Rigel replied. "They were sent to the   
future along with you, so they should be somewhere on the planet."  
"Hold it, Rigel," Michael said. "If all of the planets and their moons   
had Sailor Scouts, and all the Sailor Scouts of the solar system were all sent   
to the future, then how many are there now?"  
"Actually, the only ones who were sent were the ones who were on the Moon   
at the time of the final battle," Rigel said. "Serenity's power could only   
reach so far, you know."  
"Yeah, I guess so," Michael replied. "But will we ever find them?"  
"I would guess so. The power of the crystal was meant to bring you   
together, since fighting apart isn't anywhere near as effective as fighting   
together," Rigel said. "Hopefully, the other guardians are taking care of them   
themselves."  
"If the job's anything at all like the training, then I can't handle this   
on my own," Michael said.  
"Don't worry, Michael," Rigel said, smiling as well he could for a dog.   
"I try to make the training harder than the job so that you can do the job   
right."  
"Try?"  
"Well, it's not the easiest thing to gauge the enemy's strength when you   
haven't seen them for a thousand years," Rigel said.  
"I guess so," Michael said.  
"For now, I'm taking it easy on you," Rigel said.  
"Well thank you so frickin' much," Michael said.  
"You'll thank me tonight when we try a battle," Rigel said. "First,   
though, you need some more basic training. What I've taught you isn't   
appropriate for human criminals."  
"Okay then, what is?" Michael asked.  
"Let's go to the training ground, and I'll show you," Rigel said.  
  
Europa stood in the middle of the training grounds, leaning against a tree   
and resting his eyes. The ground was wet and the air humid. It must have   
rained the day before. He really didn't want to be training today. Well, at   
least he wouldn't have to do any pull-ups. Rigel had only said that they'd be   
working on his attacks.  
"Are you ready to start?" Rigel asked.  
"Maybe after a little nap. About three hours, say?" Europa asked.  
"Never mind. We're starting now," Rigel replied. "First, I want to teach   
you the other main attack that you've got. It's best for use when dropping a   
bunch of dirt isn't the best course of action. Like in close combat, enclosed   
spaces, or when you have to worry about damaging property. It's called the   
Europa Sandstorm Blow. What it does is to pick up dirt from the surroundings   
and blow it at the enemy, blinding them and causing pain. It's also helpful to   
create a diversion, allowing escape for you or giving you an open shot."  
"Well, that sounds fun. Europa Sandstorm Blow!" Europa exclaimed, being   
sure to aim the attack away from himself. He certainly wouldn't die from a   
bunch of sand hitting him, but he doubted it would be very comfortable.   
Immediately, a strong wind blew past him, picking up dirt and swirling it around   
strongly. Europa tried moving the whirlwind mentally towards a tree. He   
reached out with his mind, grabbing hold of the whirlwind and pulling it to the   
tree. When he opened his eyes, the dirt was swirling around the tree, as he had   
hoped it would be.  
"Wow, now that's quick," Rigel said. "I didn't quite expect you to get it   
right so soon."  
Europa let the sandstorm die down. "Like I said. I'm smarter than you   
may think," Europa said.  
"I'd expect that most of this is actually left over from your experiences   
in the Silver Millennium," Rigel said.  
"I don't know about that. Seemed pretty new to me," Europa said.  
"Just stop arguing, will you?!" Rigel exclaimed. "Now, see if you can aim   
your Earth Drop attack. Try to hit that tree."  
"Which tree?" Europa asked.  
"That tree right over there," Rigel insisted.  
"We're in a forest. We're surrounded by trees," Europa pointed out.  
"Look, stop arguing and hit the damn tree," Rigel said.  
"Okay! God! Europa Earth Drop!" He channeled as much energy as he could   
into one shot, dropping earth on all the trees around them. "There, happy? I   
hit the tree, whichever one it was."  
Rigel growled a moment before composing himself and replying, "That'll do.   
You hit the tree I was talking about. Just don't pull that sort of trick when   
we're in a battle."  
"I won't have to in a battle. I hope," Europa said.  
"Now, before we get into looking for battles, it's time for your strength   
training! Pull-ups!" Rigel exclaimed. The regimen for that afternoon wasn't as   
rigorous as the night before that had been. They substituted sit-ups for push-  
ups and Rigel only had him do half as many laps around the training grounds. He   
supposed that Rigel wanted him to have plenty of energy for looking for fights.   
It might have just been Europa's imagination, but wasn't it usually a bad idea   
to go looking for fights?  
When the sun began to set, Rigel stopped Europa so that they could go   
home. "Okay, we're basically just going to patrol the neighborhood and make   
sure no one's breaking in anywhere or anything like that."  
"Sounds good to me," Europa said. Rigel pressed the button on the portal   
box and they stepped through back into Michael's room. They were surprised to   
see Michael's mother standing in the doorway, holding some folded laundry. A   
shocked look was plastered on her face.  
"Who are you?" Mrs. Cross asked nervously. "And why do you have Rigel   
with you?"  
"She doesn't recognize you, Europa," Rigel whispered.  
"I am the protector of love and justice, the sailor-suited soldier, Sailor   
Europa!" Europa replied, striking a pose. He could have sworn he heard   
something along the lines of the word "ham" escape Rigel's lips. The front   
doorbell rang, and Mr. Cross called through the house that he would get it.  
"And what are we doing in my house, Mister protector of love and justice?"   
Mrs. Cross asked, placing the clothes on the floor.  
"What else? Protecting love and justice," Europa replied.  
"Well, love and justice is nice and safe in this household, thank you   
kindly. Now, if you would leave before I call the police, that would be nice,"   
Mrs. Cross said.  
"All right, I'll show myself out," Europa said, reaching to open the   
window. Suddenly, from the front door, he heard his father scream in pain.  
"Some champion of justice," Mrs. Cross commented angrily. "So, how many   
accomplices do you have?"  
"Hey, they're not with me," Europa exclaimed. He made a move to slip past   
Mrs. Cross, narrowly avoiding a blow to the head. Those're some self-defense   
classes she's taking! he thought to himself as he sped down the hallway,   
followed closely by Rigel. As they ran into the living room, they came face to   
face with a pair of men with long, dyed purple hair long enough that they had   
combed it down to cover their faces.  
"Whoah, who's the weirdo in the suit?" one of them asked, aiming the gun   
that he carried at Europa. The other one had Mr. Cross covered with his own   
gun. Mr. Cross had a bloodied nose, apparently from a blow to the face from one   
of these men.  
"Who're *you* calling weirdo, parrot-head?" Europa asked. "Europa   
Sandstorm Blow!" he exclaimed, releasing a spiral of strong wind and dust on the   
attacker, who stood frozen in amazement. The sandstorm hit the attacker's hand   
and blew the gun that he held across the room. Europa dismissed the sandstorm   
and dropped a large pile of earth on top of the gun, leaving the first man   
unarmed. Before Europa could do anything else, the two attackers had broken out   
of their stupor, and the unarmed one rushed him quickly. Europa tried jumping   
out of the way, but he was caught across the face with a strong punch and was   
knocked to the ground.  
"What should I do with this clown?" the unarmed one asked.  
"I don't know. Bring him over here with the other one," the armed one   
said, still holding Mr. Cross at gunpoint. Europa quickly threw his energy into   
another sandstorm and disarmed the other man as he had the first. As Europa's   
assailant was distracted by his partner's disarming, Europa rolled away quickly   
and dropped a pile of earth on top of him. He could hear his mother in the   
other room talking to the 911 operator.  
"What in the?!" Mr. Cross's assailant exclaimed as he saw the pile of dirt   
that lay on his unconscious friend. As he was distracted, Mr. Cross brought his   
fist around into the man's temple, sending him sprawling to the ground beside   
the pile of dirt that covered his gun.  
"Well, now that that's been taken care of, I'll just be going, sir!"   
Europa said to Mr. Cross. "You and the police ought to be able to take it from   
here." He waved his hands and all the piles of earth disappeared.  
"Thank you, sir!" Mr. Cross said. "Who are you, anyway?"  
"My name is Sailor Europa. I work for love and justice," Europa said. "I   
protect the city from evil and wrong-doing. Lucky I came along when I did."  
"Really," Mr. Cross said exhaustedly.  
"Maybe you should get something to tie these guys up with," Europa said.   
"They may wake up before the police get here, and I doubt they'll be all that   
friendly when they do wake up."  
"Good idea," Mr. Cross said. "Thank you again, Mister Europa."  
"Please, that's *Sailor* Europa," Europa corrected, smiling widely as he   
walked out the door. He heard a voice from the hedges calling him.  
"Europa! Quickly, this way!" Rigel called, running down the street.   
Europa followed him, and they ended up back at the entrance portal to the   
training grounds.  
"Oh, don't tell me we're going back there!" Europa exclaimed.  
"No, this is just where you'll revert, as long as no one followed you,"   
Rigel said, checking behind Europa.  
"All righty then. Revert!" Europa exclaimed, returning to normal,   
including the wave of weakness that accompanied it.  
"That wasn't too bad for your first battle, Michael. Unfortunately, your   
parents probably won't like the damage you did with your attacks. So, in the   
future, you might want to be a bit more careful with your attacks," Rigel said.  
"Well, I'm sure they can deal with it. They weren't robbed or harmed, and   
that's all that's important to them," Michael said.  
"You'll want to be careful when you deal with enemies like that," Rigel   
said. "If you get injured in Sailor form, the wounds will remain there in   
normal form."  
"And that would be bad. I could just see it now," Michael said.   
"'Michael, where did that gun-shot wound come from?'" he said, imitating his   
mother's voice.  
"Exactly," Rigel replied. "Now, you deserve some rest. You've done some   
hard work tonight. Let's return home and you can get your homework done and get   
some sleep."  
"Well, thanks for your permission," Michael said tiredly. He walked   
slowly home, down the deserted street, trying to keep his eyes open. Looking   
back, he noticed that Rigel had disappeared, and wondered briefly where the dog   
had gone to. Then, he turned around and continued on his way home, realizing   
that he didn't really care.  
  
"Central Control, we just did it!" Rigel exclaimed into his communicator   
device. "Michael just won his first battle!"  
"Excellent news, Rigel! And just in time, too! We just detected that the   
Negaverse has begun its attack on Earth!" Central Control replied.  
"Really?! Why haven't I sensed anything?" Rigel asked.  
"Looks like they're exactly everywhere but where you are," Control   
replied.  
"Well, isn't that just peachy?" Rigel said.  
"That was our opinion," Control said. "Just do your best to hold down the   
fort until we need you. Trust us, Europa's just as necessary as the other   
Sailor Scouts. Just keep training him for the time being and report to us your   
progress."  
"Understood," Rigel replied. He signed off and went back to Michael's   
house to soak in his annoyance. Who were they kidding?! Europa'd never see any   
action if the action was anywhere else! He'd just be wasting away on Earth   
while those two cats, who he was sure would be right in the middle of things,   
got all the glory. Well, for the time being, he'd do what he could to make   
Europa the best Sailor Scout he could be. After all, what else could he do?  
  
End 


End file.
